Bob Ford

INQUIRER COLUMNIST

Bob Ford is an award-winning sports columnist for the Inquirer. He is a four-time Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year, as selected by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. His work has been cited numerous times by Associated Press Sports Editors judges, and he won an Eclipse Award for outstanding coverage of horse racing. Prior to becoming a columnist at the Inquirer, Ford was the 76ers beat writer for six seasons and then a general assignment feature writer with a specialty in Olympic sports. In 1995, he was designated a fellow of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. Ford has written sports in the Philadelphia area since 1981, when he served as the Phillies beat writer and later as a general sports columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times.

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Why is it that the Eagles seem to have no problem making players happy who are dissatisfied with their contracts or looking to better their situations as long as they are on someone else's team.

In getting New England cornerback Ellis Hobbs (left) on Sunday, a solid and understandable acquisition, the Eagles sent a message to Sheldon Brown that he might be on the way out for the sin of wanting to have his contract redone.

Now, with four years remaining and very little leverage, Brown may have spoken and acted out of anger rather than reason, but he was being honest.

Just as honest it turns out as Hobbs was being with New England when he said he wanted his contract improved. Hobbs may have a better case since there is only one year remaining on his contract, but nevertheless he spoke his mind, too.

The same goes for tackle Jason Peters in Buffalo, and for fullback Leonard Weaver in Seattle. The Eagles gobbled them up with the same speed that, in the past, they have dismissed their own disgruntled players.

The long list includes Derrick Burgess, Lito Sheppard, Corey Simon and Michael Lewis recently, and stretches back for as long as Andy Reid and Joe Banner have been doing the contact-and-contract work for the Eagles.

It just seems odd. The Eagles don't mind players who are offended by the business side of the game. They just don't like players who are offended at them.